


Dr. Freckles

by indimitable



Series: Dr. Freckles [2]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: F/F, M/M, alex is a hot lawyer, john is a hot doctor, past Alex/Eliza, what's not to love??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-05-30
Packaged: 2018-07-10 19:42:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7003768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indimitable/pseuds/indimitable
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex and Eliza are sharing custody of their two kids, Philip and Angie. When their old pediatrician closes her clinic, Alex takes the kids to Dr. Laurens for their check-ups. Fluff ensues.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. At the Doctor's

“Daddy, Daddy, look!” Philip cried, tugging Alex into the waiting room. Alex shushed his older child, wincing as everyone in the room looked up. Philip didn’t seem to care, pointing eagerly to the fish tank, and Alex grinned at his son. 

“Why don’t you and Angie go look at the fish?” Alex suggested. “I have to go check in, but I’ll...” he trailed off as he realized that Philip had already grabbed his little sister’s hand and pulled her towards the mini-aquarium. Shaking his head fondly, Alex headed towards the main desk.

“Hello, sir!” The receptionist said cheerfully. Her nametag read ‘Maria.’ “Do you have an appointment?”

“Yeah, it should be under Hamilton,” Alex told her. “Philip and Angelica Hamilton.”

“Great!” Maria responded, clicking a couple buttons on her computer. “Since this is your first appointment with us, I have a little bit of paperwork for you to fill out.” She passed him a clipboard and pen, and Alex joined his kids by the fish to fill it out.

“Look, Daddy!” Philip exclaimed. “They have a Nemo!”

“Ne’o!” Angie echoed her brother.

“That’s called a clownfish,” a voice chuckled from behind them. Alex turned to see a nurse with a laptop smiling down at his kids. “I’m Sally,” she told them. “Are you Angie and Philip?” Philip nodded, beaming up at her, while Angie looked at her dad, looking a little lost.

“I’m six,” Philip told Sally importantly. “And this is my sister Angie. She’s two!” 

“Awesome,” Sally laughed. “Why don’t y’all follow me, and we’ll get started? Mr. Hamilton, I can take those papers if you’re done with them.” He handed them over, and Angie held up her arms to be picked up as soon as his hands were free. Alex scooped her up and took Philip’s hand, following Sally into the hallway. She paused in front of a scale.

“Can you take off your shoes and hop onto the scale for me, Philip?” Sally asked him. Philip sat down and started pulling off his shoes instantly, as eager to please as always. Alex slid Angie’s sandals off of her little feet. Philip jumped onto the scale, and Sally typed his weight into her laptop. “Now it’s Angie’s turn. Philip, can you stand over there by the wall so I can find out how tall you are?” 

Both Philip and Angie were at a perfectly healthy height and weight, Sally was pleased to tell Alex. Next, they headed into an examination room, where Philip scampered up onto the cushioned counter and Alex sat down in a chair with Angie in his lap.

“Dr. Laurens will be right in,” Sally told them as she left. Angie grabbed a ball fro a box in the corner of the room, and promptly dropped it on the floor. Alex held her carefully as he bent down to pick it up and hand it back to her. As soon as it was in her hands again, Angie squealed and dropped it. Philip laughed, and he jumped off the table to root through the box. Alex handed the ball back to Angie, only for her to drop it yet again, and he sighed as he retrieved it for her.

Luckily, the door opened before Angie could get too invested in her game of fetch, and in walked easily the hottest doctor Alex had ever seen.

He had freckles scattered across his face like constellations, twinkling brown eyes, a mess of curly black hair that Alex wanted to run his fingers through, and an easy smile. He wore light green scrubs with turtles on them under a long white coat with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and damn if that didn’t make his arms look great.

“Hey, guys!” Doctor Freckles said, smiling brightly. “I’m Doctor Laurens.” Angie looked up from her ball, then threw it directly at his face and clapped her hands.

“Angie, no!” Alex gasped. Thankfully, Dr. Laurens had caught it, and was laughing. 

“She’s fine,” he assured Alex. “It’s not the first thing I’ve had thrown at my face by a two year old, and it won’t be the last. 

“She’s three,” Philip corrected him. Dr. Laurens frowned, looking down at the laptop Sally had left in the room.

“No, she’s two,” Alex reminded his son. Angie held up two fingers, and Alex grinned at her. “He’s been having a hard time with age lately, he tried to convince me he was ten the other day.”

“I was ten,” Philip insisted. “But now I’m six again.” Dr. Laurens laughed, the sound musical and carefree.

“Well, are you six today?” Dr. Laurens asked him. “Because I have an appointment with six-year-old Philip.”

“That’s me!” Philip shouted.

“Perfect,” Dr. Laurens laughed again. “Now, can I listen to your heart?” Philip nodded eagerly, and Dr. John placed his stethoscope over his heart. “Awesome,” he murmured. “Now, for Miss Angie.” Angie was still in Alex’s lap, so Dr. Laurens bent down in front of both of them. He slid the stethoscope around on her chest, biting his lip as he listened intently, and Alex had to force himself to think thoughts that were appropriate for having his two-year-old on his lap.

“Aren’t you going to listen to Daddy’s heart?” Philip asked when Dr. Laurens stood back up. Dr. Laurens chuckled, then bent back down and put his stethoscope over Alex’s heart as Alex willed it to beat slower. “What does Daddy’s heart sound like?” Philip asked after a moment.

“Do you want to listen?” Dr. John asked. Philip nodded quickly, and Dr. John wiped off the earpieces of his stethoscope before he placed them carefully into Philip’s ears.

“Why is your heart beating so fastly, Daddy?” Philip asked. Alex felt his cheeks flush, and he kept his eyes steadily on Philip’s.

“So fast,” Alex corrected him.

“Me hear!” Angie demanded, put out at being left out, and Philip passed her the stethoscope. Dr. Laurens helped her put it in her ears, and she listened for a moment before declaring that it “sounds funny” and pushing it back at Dr. Laurens.

“Now it’s time to look at your eyes and ears and mouth,” Dr. Laurens told Philip, who immediately started to frown. “And then we’ll give you a couple cool prizes if you’re really good,” Dr. Laurens added, and Philip’s face lit up.

“Me too?” Angie asked, and Dr. Laurens nodded. She squealed, right in Alex’s ear, and he did his best to smile at her through the ringing in his ears. 

Dr. Laurens pulled out a couple tools, and look in both kids’ ears and mouth. He showed Philip a card with letters on it and had him read them off from a distance, then did the same thing with Angie and shapes. He declared them both “healthy and perfect,” much to Philip’s delight.

“Doctor?” Angie asked suddenly, glancing up from where she’d been playing with Alex’s hair. Dr. Laurens looked at her, smiling encouragingly. “Are you gonna poke us in the arm?”

“No shots today,” Dr. Laurens assured her. “You guys are both completely up to date! Your next shots will be the flu shot in a couple months, but you can get that one as a spray if you want to.” Philip cheered, prompting Angie to clap and tell Dr. Laurens “good job.”

“You guys earned a couple prizes!” Dr. Laurens told them. He pulled out a basket of small toys, offering it to the kids. Philip took a whoopee cushion, his grin reminding Alex eerily of his Aunt Peggy, while Angie grabbed a ball like the one she’d been playing with earlier. Alex groaned internally as he resigned himself to many more games of fetch. “Why don’t you two go play with Sally in the waiting room while I talk to your dad?” Dr. Laurens suggested. Philip dashed out the door, with little Angie toddling after him.

“Is everything okay?” Alex asked, frowning. 

“Absolutely,” Dr. John assured him. “I just want to chat really quick about their development, get some information on them, since you’re new to the clinic.”

“Okay,” Alex nodded. He started putting back the toys that Angie had removed from the box over the course of the visit. 

“What’s their home life like?” Dr. John asked, opening up the laptop. “Do they have any other siblings? Any pets? Have you noticed any allergies?”

“Custody is shared between my ex-wife and I,” Alex told them. “They alternate between our houses every two weeks, but we live fairly close together. No other siblings, but their mom has a cat. No allergies that we’ve come across yet.”

“What about their development?” Dr. Laurens asked. “Have they been hitting milestones on time? Any concerns?”

“No concerns, they’re typically very healthy kids and neither Eliza nor I have noticed anything amiss.”

“Let me know if you do come across any concerns,” Dr. Laurens told him. ‘They’re great kids, you’ve done an awesome job raising them. Why don’t you come back in three months for flu shots and another checkup? You can schedule it with Maria up front, or call in to schedule it if you want.” He fished in his coat pocket for a second before producing a business card and a friend. He scribbled something on it before handing it to Alex, who tucked it into his pocket to shake Dr. Laurens’ hand.

Alex stepped back into the waiting room, finding his kids instantly. They were standing in front of the fish tank again, watching the fish hand-in-hand.

“Let’s go, guys,” Alex called, getting their attention. Maria had disappeared from the desk, so he figured he’d just call later to schedule the next appointment.

“Can we come back soon, Daddy?” Philip asked. “I like the new doctor.”

“He has fishies!” Angie chimed in, wriggling excitedly in her carseat.

That night, once the kids were in bed, Alex pulled out the business card. ‘Dr. John Laurens, M.D. Pediatrician.’ It read. Remembering Dr. Laurens writing something on it, Alex flipped it over.

Dr. Laurens had scribbled his number down, and then the words ‘text me :) ~ John.’

Beaming, Alex pulled out his phone. He saved the number under ‘Dr. Freckles,’ then sent off a quick ‘hi.’ John responded almost immediately.

Alex: Hi  
Dr. Freckles: hey! :)  
Alex: The kids really like you, they want to come back earlier than 3 months  
Dr. Freckles: i mean i try to be likeable but most kids don’t like the doctor that much  
Alex: I don’t know, I think you’re pretty likeable  
Dr. Freckles: i could tell  
Dr. Freckles: ur heart was beating pretty fast  
Alex: Would you like to get coffee sometime?  
Dr. Freckles: i’d love to, but i’m completely packed this week and next week  
Dr. Freckles: everyone needs back-to-school checkups  
Dr. Freckles: maybe next weekend?  
Alex: Sounds good! :)

Alex fell asleep that night with his phone in his hand and a smile on his face.


	2. At the Doctor's (Again??)

A week after their visit to the doctors’, Alex’s alarm clock changed. Where it had previously been a radio, this morning, it was a crash followed by two-year-old jumping directly onto his chest and screaming loudly into his ear.

“Angie?” Alex gasped as soon as he was fully awake, sitting up and repositioning her so he could breathe. Her only response was sobbing, and what sounded vaguely like her brother’s name. Scooping her up, Alex dashed out of the room and into Philip’s. He looked around wildly for his son, but couldn’t find him. 

“He in the kitchen,” Angie sniffled, tears rolling down her cheek. Alex tried to calm her as he rushed towards the kitchen, clutching her to his chest. He skidded to a stop as he caught sight of Philip on the floor next to the open fridge, clutching his foot with tears streaming down his face and blood covering his foot. The frying pan lay next to him, also covered in blood. Alex set Angie down carefully to kneel next to Philip.

“What happened?” Alex asked softly, surveying the scene. He groaned as he remembered setting the frying pan on top of the fridge last night, too tired to put it up in the cabinet properly. 

“I wanted a snack,” Philip sniffed. “So I opened the fridge and then the pan fell on my foot and it hurts, Daddy, it hurts!” 

“I know,” Alex soothed him, grabbing some wipes from the table. He cleaned the blood off Philip’s foot carefully, then froze when he realized the source of the blood. Part of Philip’s toenail had been ripped off by the force of the pan landing on it.

“Let’s call the doctor,” Alex said after a moment, wrapping a paper towel around Philip’s toes to staunch the bleeding. Philip and Angie both started to cry harder, as though this somehow pronounced Philip’s wound fatal, and Alex did his best to soothe them “I don’t know if we can put a bandaid on it like this, or how to clean it out, but the doctor will, okay? He’ll know what to do.” Alex rushed back to his bedroom for his phone, searching frantically for John’s contact info. He really hoped that he wouldn’t mind being woken up at 5 a.m. for this, but Alex didn’t know if this was 911-worthy and he didn’t want to freak the kids out further by taking them to the hospital.

Luckily for Alex, John picked up on the third ring. “Hello?” He answered. Alex sighed in relief.

“Hi, John, it’s Alex,” he said in a rush. “Alex Hamilton, we met a week ago and we’ve texted a lot since then, we uh,” he glanced at his kids, who had quieted down a little to watch him, “we were going to meet up next weekend?”

“Yeah, I know who you are,” John laughed after a moment. “Is, ah, is everything okay? You sound kind of panicked, and it’s five in the morning.”

“Well, not really,” Alex admitted. “I left a pan on top of the fridge last night, and Philip didn’t know, so he opened the fridge and it fell on his foot.”

“Is he okay?” John demanded immediately. “Is he bleeding? Do you think it’s broken?”

“He’s bleeding pretty hard,” Alex answered. “Part of his toenail came off, so I don’t know what to do about that, and it’s pretty swollen. He’s in a lot of pain, too.”

“Okay, why don’t you come into the clinic?” John suggested. “I’m there already, we open at six anyways. I’m working on paperwork, and Maria should be there already. If it’s swollen and hurting a lot, there is a possibility it’s broken, so I’d like to take a look at it, and it sounds like gauze might be more effective than band-aids.”

“Okay, we’ll be right in,” Alex told him. “Thanks, John.” He hung up and turned to Philip and Angie, who were both looking at him, confused.

“Who’s John?” Philip asked, tears still rolling down his face. “You said you were going to call the doctor.”

“That’s Dr. Laurens,” Alex told him. “He said we should come see him, okay? He wants to take a look at your foot.” He grabbed jackets for both of the kids, not bothering to change them out of their pajamas, and made sure they both used the bathroom before getting them into the car. He called Eliza on the way to the clinic, guessing she’d want to come just in case.

“Hello?” Eliza answered on the fifth ring, her voice groggy. “Alex?”

“Hey Betsey, sorry to wake you up,” he said, glancing back at the kids. Philip was still crying, but Angie had calmed down some. “Don’t freak out, but we’re on our way to the doctor’s right now. I didn’t know if you’d want us to meet us there, he’s probably fine, but--”

“I’m on my way,” Eliza interrupted him. “What happened to Philip?”

“I left a pan on top of the fridge,” Alex sighed. “He opened it for a snack, and it fell on his foot. Part of his toenail came off, and he’s bleeding a lot and his toe is pretty swollen so the doctor wanted us to come in.”

“The doctor’s office picked up at 5 in the morning?” Eliza asked, and Alex could hear the frown in her voice.

“Well, the doctor did,” Alex told her. “I’ll tell you when you get here, okay? You remember where the new doctor’s office is?”

“Yeah, I’m nearly there,” Eliza replied. “I’ll see you soon.” She hung up, and Angie’s lower lip trembled.

“What’s wrong, Ang?” Alex asked, keeping an eye on her in the rearview mirror.

“I don’t want Philip to die,” she cried. 

“Oh, sweetie,” Alex sighed. “He isn’t going to die, okay? He’s going to be just fine, we just have to get his foot looked at.”

“You promise?” She asked. Alex nodded, smiling at her in the mirror. She wiped her tears, and reached out for Philip’s hand. He smiled at his little sister bravely, and Alex’s heart warmed as he watched his babies in the mirror. 

They arrived at the clinic only moments before Eliza, and Alex carried Philip in while she carried Angie. John met them at the front desk, bringing them straight back into the examination room. He motioned for Alex to set Philip down on the counter, and he peeled back the paper towel covering his foot gently.

Eliza sucked in a breath at the sight of his big toe, squeezing Angie closer to her chest. Half of his toenail was now hanging off, while the other half was still on, although the blood flow was thankfully slowing down. John slipped on some gloves and prodded gently at it, feeling around. 

“It’s not broken,” he said after a moment, and Eliza’s shoulders slumped in relief. “The rest of it should fall off naturally, so keep an eye out for that. I’m going to clean it out and then wrap it up, and I’ll show you two how to wrap it. You should be re-wrapping it once a day, but more than that if there’s a lot of blood, okay?” Eliza and Alex nodded their assent, and John set about wrapping up Philip’s toe with gauze. “Once it falls off, it’s natural for there to be some pus and more blood,” John told them. “If it doesn’t fall off within a week, come back in, and I’d like to see you in two weeks to check on it.” 

“Thank you,” Eliza told John, bouncing Angie gently in her arms. “I’m so sorry for bothering you so early, but thank you so much for being here. I understand Alex called you?”

“It wasn’t a problem,” John smiled at her. “Anything for A-- the kids.” Eliza raised an eyebrow, but let his slip go.

“Mommy? Daddy?” Philip asked, glancing up at them. They both looked down at him. “I’m still hungry,” he said. Eliza chuckled weakly, and Angie giggled from Eliza’s arms.

“Why don’t you guys go get him some food,” John suggested. “Talk to Maria out front about coming back in two weeks, okay?” Eliza nodded, and Alex picked Philip up off of the counter and cuddled him against his chest. ‘Text me,’ John mouthed to Alex, who grinned and nodded.

“Alright, sweethearts,” Eliza spoke up, and Alex blushed as he turned back to her. She was watching him with a smirk, and Angie looked about ready to fall asleep on her chest. “Let’s get these kids some food and then some sleep, okay? I’m assuming you’ll talk to Dr. Laurens later anyways.”

Alex followed her out the door, looking back at John fondly as he left.

They took the kids to the IHOP next to the clinic, simply because they wanted to get some food in Angie before she went back to sleep. While the kids scarfed down pancakes, Alex caught Eliza up on what John had said during the kids’ first doctor visit with him, assuring her that despite Philip’s new wound, they were both very healthy.

“So, you and John, huh?” Eliza asked when he was done. He froze, glancing at their kids. Neither of them seemed to be paying attention to anything but their pancakes. “Do you not want the kids to know you’re dating someone?” Eliza frowned.

“I mean, we’re not dating,” Alex started, but Eliza cut him off.

“Yet,” she said simply. When Alex just stared at her, she rolled her eyes and elaborated. “I know that look, Alexander. You’re not dating him yet. Based off of that look, I’d say it’s only a matter of days. And besides, I’ve dated someone since we broke up. The kids knew about that, remember?”

“True,” Alex admitted. “I don’t know, I guess I just don’t want to bring someone into the kids’ life if it isn’t serious. I want to make sure it is first.”

“I think it already is,” Eliza laughed, stealing a piece of bacon from his plate. When Alex merely shrugged, she groaned in exasperation. “Honey, you called him before you called me,” she pointed out. “Yes, he’s the doctor, but I’m still his mother, and I have plenty of experience with patching kids up. I grew up with Peggy, remember? The first person you asked for help was him. Don’t you think that says something?”

“Daddy, can we go home?” Angie asked. Saved by the kid.

“Don’t forget to drop them off on Friday,” Eliza reminded him. “I’ll pay, you go ahead and get them home.”

By the time Alex got home, both kids were already asleep. He carried them in one at a time, tucking them in and kissing their foreheads before settling in to work on one of his cases.

Angie woke up around lunchtime, and Philip woke up shortly after. He fixed them a quick lunch and set them up with some toys in his study while he went back to work, wanting to get his notes on the case done before the trial next week. Unfortunately, his work was filled with interruptions from his phone, some of them more welcome than others.

Burr: are you done with the sally hemings case yet  
Alex: I’m working on it right now  
Burr: k  
Alex: Why? It’s my case, not yours  
Burr: washington put me on it too  
Burr: bc jefferson is the lawyer we’re up against and he’s part of the case  
Burr: doesn’t think you can stay neutral  
Alex: I don’t need an assistant counsel  
Burr: CO-counsel

Alex: Sir, with all due respect, I’d rather not work with Burr  
GWash: Alex, listen, there’s only one way for us to win this  
GWash: We must stay calm in court  
Alex: I’m perfectly capable of staying calm.  
GWash: Need I remind you of the Lee Incident?  
Alex: No, sir. I’ll work with Burr.  
GWash: Thank you

Alex: I’ll send you my case notes tonight.  
Burr: thank you

Dr. Freckles: how’s Philip doing? :)  
Alex: Better now that he’s had food and sleep.  
Alex: He’s keeping his foot propped up and playing with Angie right now.  
Dr. Freckles: awesome!  
Dr. Freckles: are we still on for coffee next weekend  
Alex: Definitely!  
Dr. Freckles: ok cool there’s this coffee shop I want to take u to  
Dr. Freckles: it’s called the meowtropolitan  
Dr. Freckles: everything is cat-themed and there’s a section where you just play with cats  
Alex: Oh my God that sounds fantastic.  
Alex: I have to go, Angie is trying to feed marbles to Philip.  
Dr. Freckles: bye, cutie ;)

Alex stared down at his phone for a second, feeling a smile creep onto his face, before sprinting over to Angie to explain to her that they should only pretend to eat the marbles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The pan-falling-on-foot-toenail-falling-off thing really happened to me when I was about 12, so it should be fairly medically accurate (the only part of this fic that really is I have no medical knowledge).


	3. First Date

Alex glanced down at his phone yet again, checking to see if Eliza had replied yet. He was sitting on a bench outside the Meowtropolitan, waiting for John to get there and for Eliza to tell him that Philip was feeling better.

Betsey: yep! Foot all bandaged up and good to go  
Alex: Great, thanks! Give them my love.

Alex smiled in relief as he tucked his phone into his pocket, just as he caught sight of John headed towards him. He stood up, wiping his hands on his jeans just in case they were sweaty, and waved at John.

“Hey!” John called as he approached. He was wearing jeans and a Beyonce T-shirt, as well as a huge grin. He pulled Alex into a hug as soon as he was close enough, and Alex breathed in the familiar smell of children. “Sorry, I just came from the clinic. I’m not too late, am I?”

“You’re not late at all,” Alex laughed. “I just got here ten minutes early.”

“Oh, great,” John chuckled. “Shall we head in? I hear they make a great Espawsso.”

“I’m more of a Ameowicano guy,” Alex grinned, holding the door open for John. The Meowtropolitan was extremely cute, with lots of couches and soft lighting. The espresso bar was tucked against the far wall, and signs with cat paws on them were pointing down a hallway towards where Alex assumed the cats were. 

“One iced Espawsso and one Ameowicano, please,” John requested once they reached the front of the line. The barista scribbled it down on two cups, then typed something into the cash register. 

“That’ll be 7.48,” she told them. Alex and John both pulled out their wallets, but John was the first to hand cash to her, much to Alex’s displeasure.

“I’m paying next time,” Alex insisted.

“I’m a doctor, Alex, I can afford it,” John said, amused. “Although I like the idea of this next time.” The barista handed them their drinks, and they moved to one of the couches to sit down. 

“So our appointment with the cats is in half an hour,” Alex told John. “And we’re not allowed to take drinks in with us, so we have to finish them before then.”

“I’m already nearly finished,” John laughed, holding up his drink. “You’re the one who needs to worry, you got a bigger drink and you talk more than me.”

“I can shut up,” Alex rolled his eyes. He chugged his drink to prove it, then nearly spat it out when he burned his tongue. John burst into laughter, and Alex stole an ice cube out of his drink to soothe his tongue (and his pride). 

“I think we might have to stick with other ways of shutting you up,” John said when he’d stopped laughing. His eyes were full of promises, and Alex slipped an ice cube into his drink before taking another big gulp to calm his nerves. “Do I get any of my drink?” John complained half-heartedly.

“You get the drink part, I get the ice cube part,” Alex replied, taking another one. “I probably shouldn’t have gotten a hot drink in August, but you’re also really cute when you’re pretending to be mad.”

“Only when I’m pretending to be mad?” John pouted.

“Also when you’re pretending to be sad,” Alex amended his earlier statement, and John snickered. 

“I’ll take that,” he raised his cup, and Alex clinked his own against it. “You’d better hurry up and finish that drink, I fully intend on seeing the cats in ten minutes,” John added. 

“What a romantic you are,” Alex pretended to swoon into the couch cushions, and John snorted.

“If you wanted flowers, you just had to ask,” he told Alex, who perked up.

“Well, in that case, I’d like flowers and chocolates next time,” Alex informed John. “And some wine couldn’t hurt.” John pulled out his phone and tapped at the screen a couple times, then set it aside. Alex laughed incredulously.

“Hey, I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure there’s a next time,” John smiled cheekily. “As for this time, however, I believe we can go visit the cats now.” Alex tossed back the rest of his coffee before bounding up and following John down the hallway.

“Names?” A perky employee asked them outside the door simply labeled “CATS.”

“John Laurens and Alexander Hamilton,” John answered, practically vibrating with excitement. Alex was vibrating too, but he was pretty sure that was just because he’d just finished his fifth cup of coffee for the day.

“Have fun!” The employee told them with a giant grin. “Be gentle with the cats, and I’ll let you know when an hour’s up if you’re still in there.” John grabbed Alex’s hand and interlocked their fingers before tugging him inside. The employee shut the doors behind them, and John’s face lit up as he looked around.

There had to be close to 20 cats milling about in the room. There were cats on top of furniture, cats playing with toys, even a cat currently using the litter box. “Alex, this is beautiful,” John gasped as he turned in a slow circle. Alex felt his own face light up as he watched John’s wonder.

John sank down on the floor next to one of the cats, who immediately started meowing at him. “Mmhmm,” John responded, stroking the cat behind the ears. She arched up into his hand, and continued meowing. “Is that right?” John asked, entranced by the cat. Alex laughed as he watched him carry on a fake conversation with the cat, who would pause whenever he talked before meowing right back at him.

Leaving John to his conversation, Alex wandered over to one of the armchairs. He sat down, and was immediately surrounded by cats. A calico cat jumped up onto one of the arms of the chair, while a ginger cat took the other arm. A tabby kitten jumped into his lap and curled up there, while her mother watched from the ground. 

“Hi,” Alex said, unsure of what he’d done to deserve this much attention. Apparently, this armchair was a favorite hang-out spot.

“Well, don’t you look comfy,” John chuckled. Alex glanced up to see John standing over him with his cat friend from earlier sitting on his head, and promptly burst into snickers. 

“How is that cat staying on?” Alex chortled. “Is she just digging her claws into your scalp?” John nodded, wincing as the cat shuffled around on his head. “I’m disappointed she got to play with your hair before I did,” Alex confessed. “I’ve wanted to run my hands through it since the first time I saw you.” John reached up and gently removed the cat from his head, cradling her in his arms.

“You know what I’ve wanted to do since I first saw you?” He asked Alex, who shrugged (gently, so as not to displace the cat that had just perched on the top of his chair). John leaned down and set the cat on the floor, then kneeled in front of Alex and leaned forward to press their lips together.

They stayed like that for a moment, kissing innocently and sweetly, before Alex brought his hand up to the back of John’s head to pull him closer. 

Or, he would have, if he hadn’t accidentally knocked a cat off the chair first.

The cat meowed, landing on its feet and stalking away with its head high. John pulled back, smiling softly.

“Maybe we should go somewhere with, um, less cats,” Alex suggested. “Eliza has the kids, so my place is relatively clean right now.”

“Lead the way,” John smiled, and for the first time, Alex understood the idea of ‘the face that launched a thousand ships.’ That smile was one he’d go to war for.

 

John spent the bus ride back to Alex’s apartment tracing patterns higher and higher on Alex’s thigh, and sneaking kisses. Overall, Alex was rather proud of the fact that they made it all of two steps into his apartment before he pushed John against the wall, went up on his tiptoes, and kissed him. 

John laughed into his mouth as Alex pressed up against him, reaching up to tangle his hands in his hair. John’s hands wandered down to Alex’s ass as his tongue made its way into Alex’s mouth, quickly dominating the kiss. Alex moaned as John squeezed his ass, pulling John’s head down so he didn’t have to stay up on his tiptoes. John solved the problem quickly, sliding his hands under Alex’s thighs and picking him up. Alex wrapped his legs around John’s waist, enjoying the feeling of being taller than someone for once. 

John moved forward a step before turning around so Alex was suddenly the one being pressed against the wall, and Alex gasped as John’s lips left his to trail down his neck. He let his head fall back against the wall as John kissed alongside his jaw, moving down his neck until--

“Hello?” A French-accented voice called out as the door slammed open, narrowly missing hitting John. John froze, then slowly lowered Alex to the ground. Alex groaned as he readjusted his pants, regretting ever giving Lafayette a key to his apartment.

“Hi, Laf,” he replied. “Could you maybe call me before you come over next time?” Alex looked up at John, whose cheeks were adorably red. “Kinda in the middle of something.”

“I can see that, mon ami,” Lafayette smirked at him over John’s shoulder. “Is this the hot doctor you mentioned?” Alex made a silent promise to kill them the next chance he got.

“John Laurens,” John turned around and offered his hand to Laf. “I’m Angie and Philip’s pediatrician, and Alex’s, uh, his...” he trailed off.

“His boyfriend, non?” Lafayette suggested.

“Yes,” Alex jumped in, taking John’s hand. John looked down at him in surprise, and Alex was sure his own cheeks were as red as John’s by now. “I mean, if he wants to be,” he amended quickly.

“Alex’s boyfriend,” John repeated, squeezing his hand comfortingly. “And you are?”

“Call me Lafayette,” Laf grinned. “Or Laf, if I decide you’ve earned that privilege. They/them pronouns, please. I’m Alex’s best friend.”

“And is there a reason you’re here, now, without warning?” Alex sighed, knowing there probably was. They had the manic glint in their eyes that Alex had come to recognize as the sign of a Big Idea. 

“I’m going to ask Hercules to marry me,” Lafayette declared, beaming.

“Hercules?” John asked, frowning. “You don’t mean Hercules Mulligan, do you?” Alex and Laf turned to stare at him in unison.

“How do you know Hercules?” Lafayette demanded. 

“He’s friends with my receptionist, Maria,” John replied. “They went to fashion school together, he visits on her lunch break to talk about designs frequently.”

“Ah, Maria Reynolds?” Lafayette checked. “Yes, she comes to dinner frequently! Alex, remember I told you I wanted to set Eliza up with one of Hercules’ friends?”

“Yeah,” Alex frowned. “I didn’t know she was John’s receptionist, though. Small world.”

“Anyways, you’re Hercules’ significant other?” John asked Lafayette. “He talks about you all the time, Maria always makes fun of him for it.”

“Aw, really?” Lafayette perked up. “That’s so, how you say, adorable!”

“Laf, you know how to say adorable,” Alex rolled his eyes. “But yes, it is. When are you going to ask him to marry you? And when exactly did you decide on this life-changing event?”

“In two weeks,” Lafayette smiled, a dreamy look crossing their face. “I decided about, hmm... How long does it take to drive from my apartment to yours?”

“Ten minutes,” Alex supplied. 

“I decided ten minutes ago,” Lafayette declared. John laughed, although Alex was fairly sure they were serious. 

“Why did you decide this?” Alex asked, realizing he wasn’t going to get to make out with John again for a while. What a shame.

“We’ve been dating for two years,” Lafayette shrugged. “He loves me, I love him, and we have enough money for the biggest wedding since... I don’t know, one of your silly American celebrities. Anyways, the two-year anniversary of our first date is in two weeks, so I will surprise him with a picnic and put a ring in his favorite type of cupcake.”

“Aww,” Alex grinned, leaning into John and wrapping his arm around him. “Can I watch? This sounds super cute.”

“As long as you promise to leave the kids with Eliza,” Lafayette laughed. “They’d ruin the surprise. Now, I’ll leave you two lovebirds to resume your making in.”

“Making out,” Alex corrected him. Lafayette flashed a smile before turning and leaving as abruptly as they’d come in. “Where were we?” Alex turned to John, smirking up at him. John closed the distance between their lips quickly, much to his pleasure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Meowtropolitan is a real place in Seattle! I haven't been (yet) but it's supposed to be really awesome.


	4. Yet Another Doctor's Appointment

Two weeks after their emergency appointment with John, Eliza and Alex took Philip and Angie back to John. Since Eliza had the kids, and it wasn’t an emergency appointment, Alex didn’t technically need to be there, but John was the doctor they had the appointment with, so he’d decided to come anyways.

They checked in at the main office with Maria, and then Alex took Angie and Philip over to see the fish while Maria flirted with an oblivious Eliza. Alex kept an eye on the kids and an ear on Maria and Eliza, trying not to laugh at how blind Eliza was being.

“Are you lost, ma’am?” Maria was asking, smiling sweetly at Eliza.

“No, why?” Eliza asked, confused.

“Well, heaven’s a long way from here,” Maria shrugged. Eliza still looked a little confused. “Do you have a band-aid?” Eliza immediately started digging in her purse, and Alex tried not to facepalm. “Because I scraped my knee falling for you,” Maria continued. Eliza looked up, her mouth forming an O, and Alex stifled a laugh.

“Are you flirting with me?” She asked, apparently getting the memo.

“That depends,” Maria’s lips quirked up as she held out a stethoscope. “Would you listen to your heart and go out with me?” Eliza started to laugh as Maria plowed on. “I’m not a photographer, but I can picture you and me together. Do you know what type of vegetable you’d be?” Eliza shook her head, giggling. “A cute-cumber,” Maria grinned at her. “I think I lost my number. Can I have yours?”

“Sure,” Eliza giggled. “Although you may have to give me a map first.”

“Why’s that, hon?” Maria asked, leaning forward. 

“Cause I’m getting lost in your eyes,” Eliza informed Maria before dissolving into giggles again. Alex shook his head, smiling. He supposed he shouldn’t be too surprised. The first time he’d met Eliza, she’d asked if she could have directions to his heart. Granted, she’d been drunk, but she’d always been a fan of cheesy pick-up lines.

“Would you maybe like to see a movie this weekend?” Maria asked Eliza, who nodded eagerly. She leaned across the counter to put her number into Maria’s phone, smiling as her phone dinged a second later. Just then, Sally tapped Eliza on the shoulder, and Alex herded Philip and Angie towards their mother.

“How are y’all doing?” Sally smiled down at Philip, who’d started walking normally again a couple days ago. 

“My foot’s nearly all better!” Philip told Sally proudly. She ruffled his hair affectionately, shooting Alex a friendly grin. The staff at the clinic had all come to know him over the last week, as he visited John whenever their lunch breaks coincided. 

Sally ushered them into the examination room, where John was already waiting for them. This time, he was wearing blue scrubs with cats on them, much to Alex’s amusement. He smiled at Alex before turning to Philip. “Can you hop up onto the counter for me, Mr. Philip?” He asked. Philip climbed up with Alex’s help, and John pulled his shoe off gently. Philip’s toenail, after falling off completely, was just now starting to grow back. “It looks like it doesn’t need to be wrapped up anymore,” John informed them. “But don’t go swimming for a while, and maybe take showers instead of baths if you can. Try not to let it get too dirty, and come see me if it gets bloody or pus appears. Any questions?” Alex and Eliza shook their heads, as did Philip, but Angie nodded gravely from her spot on Eliza’s lap. “What’s up, Angie?” John asked.

“Are you an’ Daddy boyfriends?” She asked, pressing a little finger against her cheek. John and Alex glanced at each other, taken aback. They’d been dating for a week, and Eliza had had the kids for all of that week, so they hadn’t really told the kids yet. On the other hand, they hadn’t agreed to not tell the kids. “Unca Herc said so.”

“Yes, they are,” Eliza said after a moment. “Is that okay?” They all watched Angie, who looked between them for a minute before deciding.

“Only if Philip says so,” she told them. “He gets to choose.” All of the adults switched their attention to Philip, who nodded.

“I like Mr. Doctor,” he told them seriously. “But Mommy needs a boyfriend too!”

“Mommy might get a girlfriend,” Eliza told him, apparently deciding to bare all today. “But we have to be quiet about it, okay? We don’t know if she wants to be Mommy’s girlfriend yet.” John looked like he was trying not to laugh, and Alex felt his own lips twitch upwards. If only life was as simple as they made it seem to the children.

“Who?” Angie asked. “I wanna ask her!” There was a knock on the door just then, and Sally poked her head in.

“Dr. Laurens, there’s a panicking mother on the phone for you,” she told him. “Nice to see you again, Alex.”

“Will you be my mommy’s girlfriend?” Angie asked. Sally’s mouth dropped open, and she started to laugh. Eliza dropped her head into her hands.

“I’m married, sweetie,” Sally said between chuckles. “But I think Miss Maria might say yes.” She winked at Eliza, waved to Alex and left, still chuckling. 

“Who’s Miss Maria?” Philip asked instantly. “Is that gonna be Mommy’s girlfriend?”

“Is she,” Alex corrected. He gave John a quick kiss before he left. “And we don’t know, but why don’t we let Mommy ask her, okay? Now, we need to let someone else have this room.” He took Angie from Eliza, settling her on his hip as Eliza helped Philip down from the counter. He helped Eliza get the kids into her car before hugging her goodbye and heading back into the clinic.

He hung out at the front desk with Maria for half an hour, waiting for John to get off work. He told her how to woo Eliza, and she told him embarrassing stories about John. She was just in the middle of telling him about the time a four-year-old pantsed him in the middle of the waiting room when John himself, unfortunately wearing pants this time, came out.

“Hi, babe,” John smiled at Alex, leaning down to kiss his cheek. “Ready to go?” Alex nodded, waving goodbye to Maria as he and John left hand in hand.

“Where are we headed?” Alex asked as John led him out of the clinic and towards the center of the city. John had changed out of his scrubs, and into jeans and a leather jacket over a bright yellow shirt that made his eyes pop. Alex felt inadequate besides him in his cardigan and black pants.

“It’s a surprise,” John informed him. “But you’re perfectly dressed, don’t worry,” he added, somehow guessing Alex’s thoughts. Alex shrugged and followed his boyfriend towards the waterfront, content to guess in his head.

He hadn’t been expecting John to lead him towards the giant Ferris wheel, though. They waited in line for a couple minutes and posed for a picture in front of a green screen before being ushered into a car. Luckily, they didn’t have to share a car with anyone.

Alex looked out over the water as the car began to rise. The sun was setting over the mountains at that exact moment, creating a spectacular view. He leaned into John’s side, nestling his head onto his shoulder. “This is beautiful,” he said after a moment. “Thank you.”

“You don’t think this is it, do you?” John asked in surprise.

“It isn’t?” Alex frowned. John laughed.

“This is only the beginning,” he promised. Alex kissed him before looking back out over the water. John pressed a kiss against his forehead, and they spent the rest of the ride watching the sunset in comfortable silence.

After the Ferris wheel, John took Alex back to John’s apartment. But unlike the last several times they’d ended up going to one of their places, they didn’t start making out as soon as they got in the door.

John didn’t even let Alex go in at first. He rushed in ahead of Alex, shutting the door in his face after a quick apology. A couple minutes later, he opened the door with a smile, letting Alex in and handing him a bouquet of roses. 

As Alex walked into the living room, his jaw dropped slowly. The electric fireplace was turned on, and a blanket was spread out in front of it. A box of expensive-looking chocolates was on top of the coffee table, and fairy lights strung up on the ceiling were the only lighting.

“You said you wanted flowers and chocolate next time,” John said from behind Alex. He turned around slowly, amazed by the amount of thought that had to have gone into this. Sure, it was cliche, but it was Alex’s cliche.

“Yeah, but I was mostly joking,” Alex admitted. “John, this is... no one’s ever done this for me.”

“Never?” John raised an eyebrow, stepping closer to him. “I’ve got a lot of time to make up for, then.” He leaned down to kiss Alex, and he tossed aside the bouquet of roses in favor of sinking down slowly onto the couch with John on top of him.


	5. Love?

The next few days passed in an easy rhythm of sharing their lunch breaks with each other and going home with each other at the end of the day. However, come Friday, it was Alex’s turn to have the kids. 

Eliza dropped them off Friday afternoon, along with some mac-and-cheese she’d made for him. “You are a saint, Betsey,” he told her. She brushed it off with a laugh, and he grinned as he realized she was wearing lipstick and mascara “Do you have a date tonight?” He asked. “Is that why you’re dropping them off early?” 

“Maybe,” Eliza smirked. “Can you blame me? She’s fricking adorable.”

“Go have fun on your date,” Alex rolled his eyes. “Did they have dinner yet?” Eliza nodded and blew him a kiss as she left.

“Daddy, can we watch a movie?” Philip asked. Angie was bouncing up and down at his side, looking suspiciously like she’d had quite a bit of sugar. Alex really hoped Eliza hadn’t fed her ice cream right before unleashing her onto him. 

“Sure, bud,” Alex smiled. “Hey, is it okay if John comes over? If you say no, he won’t come over.”

“Okay!” Philip shrugged, dashing over to the television and grabbing the remote. “But Angie and I get to pick the movie.”

“Of course,” Alex agreed, resigning himself to watching Mulan yet again. “Why don’t you get it set up, and I’ll get some popcorn?” Both kids cheered, and Alex stepped into the kitchen to make popcorn and text John. He slid a bag into the microwave and peeked in on the kids, who were setting up Mulan, before leaning against the counter and pulling out his phone.

Alex: The kids are here, but you’re more than welcome to come over if you want.  
Dr. Freckles: u sure? I want to make sure they get time with their dad  
Alex: Yeah, they like you. Besides, they’ll have to get used to you eventually.  
Alex: We’re watching Mulan, if that sweetens the deal.  
Dr. Freckles: i’ll be there in 10

Alex smiled down at his phone. He grabbed the popcorn from the microwave and poured it into two bowls, handing one to Philip. He sat down next to Angie and started picking out kernels that were small enough for her, handing them to her one by one. 

John knocked on the door, then let himself in a couple minutes into the movie, as Mulan was getting ready to meet the matchmaker. Both Angie and Philip were completely immersed in the movie, and barely looked up to greet him.

“Hey,” Alex said quietly, scooting over next to Angie so that John could sit on his other side. Angie climbed onto his lap, and John cuddled into him too, kissing his cheek and stealing a little popcorn for himself.

Angie fell asleep on Alex before they even got to I’ll Make A Man Out of You, and Alex excused himself to carry her into her bedroom and tuck her into bed. Philip nodded off around the time Mulan’s friends realized she was a girl, and Alex scooped him up and took him to bed too. When he returned, John was intently watching Mulan race towards the city.

“You missed the Hun army waking up,” John told Alex without taking his eyes off of the screen. Apparently his boyfriend was just as obsessed with the movie as his kids.

“They popped up out of the snow,” Alex quoted. “Like daisies!” John laughed. “It’s the kids’ favorite movie, we watch it at least once a month.”

“I watched it all the time growing up,” John confessed, nuzzling into Alex’s side again. “My siblings and I had all the Disney movies, and there was always someone young enough to enjoy them.” Alex’s phone buzzed beside him on the couch, and he tore his gaze away from John to glance down.

Betsey: alex help she’s so cute  
Alex: Shouldn’t you be paying attention to your date, not texting your ex-husband?  
Betsey: she went to the bathroom  
Betsey: i’m not a complete dick  
Betsey: she keeps laughing at my pickup lines and coming back with even worse ones  
Betsey: sometimes she already knows the answer  
Betsey: i asked if her dad was a boxer and she replied “no but urs must be bc ur a knockout”  
Betsey: i think i’m in love  
Alex: Congrats.  
Alex: Sorry, that sounded really passive-aggressive.  
Betsey: literally all ur texts do  
Betsey: u end everything with a period  
Betsey: we’ve discussed this  
Betsey: but she’s so cuteeee is it bad if i kiss her on the first date  
Alex: John and I likely would’ve had sex if not for Lafayette  
Betsey: omg how did i not hear this   
Betsey: oh wait is that when they decided to ask herc to marry them  
Alex: Yes, and slightly more importantly, they interrupted our makeout session.  
Betsey: lmao k sure  
Betsey: anyways gtg she’s back   
Betsey: she’s so cute i’m gonna die aaaaaahhhhhh

Alex scoffed at Eliza’s antics. “Who’s that?” John asked, glancing over curiously.

“Eliza,” Alex replied. He turned his phone off and set it down, looking up as he realized the movie had finished.

“Isn’t she on a date with Maria tonight?” John frowned. “Maria would not stop talking about it today, it was adorable.”

“Yeah,” Alex grinned. “She’s freaking out because Maria’s super cute and she likes her a lot more than she originally thought.” 

“Aww,” John smirked. “Sounds like someone else I know.”

“Who?” Alex asked. John pointed at himself, then broke into a smile. Alex rolled his eyes and leaned forward to kiss John, who smiled against his mouth and pulled him closer.

“Daddy?” A voice interrupted them, and they drew apart quickly. Angie was standing in the doorway, her cheeks flushed from sleep and her hair practically standing up on her head.

“What’s going on, kiddo?” Alex asked, opening his arms. She ran to him, bounding into his lap quickly. 

“Bad dream,” Angie mumbled against his chest. She stuck her thumb into her mouth, and John reached forward to rub comforting circles onto her back. Angie leaned into his hand, falling off of Alex’s lap in the process, and John caught her easily. She shifted to his lap, leaning her head on his shoulder, and Alex’s heart warmed as he saw two of his loves together.

Wait. Love. Did he love them? Well, part of that could be answered pretty easily. Of course he loved Angie. But John... he was pretty sure he loved John, actually.

Glancing up from his thoughts, he realized that Angie had fallen asleep again, this time on John’s chest.

“I can put her in her room, if you want,” John offered. Alex nodded gratefully. John stood up, cradling Angie gently, and Alex darted ahead to open her door for him. He watched as John settled her down tenderly, drawing the blanket up over her chest before exiting quietly. 

“Why are you looking at me like that?” John asked when they were cuddled up on the couch again, this time with Hercules playing.

“Hmm?” Alex asked absently. He was tracing the pattern of John’s freckles with a finger.

“You’re looking at me weird,” John shifted to face Alex, and Alex’s finger fell down. “Is everything okay?”

“I love you,” Alex blurted out. John’s eyes widened, and Alex cursed himself. “I’m sorry, I know it’s probably too soon, but I--”

John’s lips against his own cut him off. He pulled back after a moment to tell Alex “I love you too” before kissing him again. 

Thankfully, they weren’t interrupted this time.


	6. Papa?

The first time John ate breakfast at Alex’s apartment when he had the kids, they were six months into their relationship. They didn’t really have a reason for him not to stay for breakfast, it had just never worked out when the kids were home. One of them had always had work too early in the morning, or some emergency or another had come up. 

Then one morning, they were woken up in Alex’s bed by Angie jumping onto the bed. “I’m hungry,” she squealed, bouncing up and down. “Daddy, wake up! I’m hungry!”

“Hi, Angie,” John grinned at her while Alex yawned. “Do you want me to make you some breakfast so your Daddy can sleep in?” The bouncing paused.

“You can cook?” Angie asked.

“Of course,” John chuckled. “Did you think I couldn’t?”

“You always go away before breakfast,” the three-year-old said. John laughed, and Alex tugged his pillow over his head. 

“Let’s go get some breakfast,” John suggested, scooping her up and carrying her towards the kitchen. “Is Philip up yet?” Angie shook her head. “Then let’s be quiet so we don’t wake up him and Daddy, okay?” Angie nodded at this sage advice. “What do you want for breakfast, hon?” 

“Eggos, please!” Angie demanded. John laughed, heading over to the freezer and pulling the box out. Philip wandered in just then, still in his pajamas and rubbing his eyes.

“Daddy, can we--” he stopped, catching sight of John twirling Angie around in the air. “Where’s Daddy?” Philip asked.

“Still sleeping,” John told him. “Would you like an Eggo?” Philip nodded, sitting down at the kitchen table. Angie squirmed in John’s arms, and he set her down. She raced towards her brother instantly, giving him a kiss before climbing into the chair next to him. The waffles popped up in the toaster, and John slid them onto plates. He set them down in front of the kids and poured them each a glass of orange juice before sitting down across from them with his own waffles.

“Well, isn’t this domestic,” Alex said, pecking them each on the head in turn as he came in. “Did you do all this, John?”

“It certainly wasn’t Angie,” he smiled at Alex. “I was actually going to come wake you up soon, didn’t you say you had to be at the courthouse at 9?” Alex frowned.

“No, that can’t be right,” he denied. He crossed the room to check the calendar taped to the wall, then froze. “Sh-- sugar, I forgot to get a sitter,” Alex groaned. 

“Want me to watch them?” John offered. “I’m off today, I could take them to the aquarium or something.”

“Are you sure?” Alex asked. “I don’t want to burden you or anything, I could see if Eliza’s available.”

“I’d love to spend time with them,” John told him with a smile. “And besides, Maria told me she was taking Eliza on a trip to Portland this weekend.” 

“Oh, that’s right,” Alex nodded. “Okay, well, if you’re sure. I have to get going, Burr will kill me if I’m late. Love you!” He gave each of them another kiss, then headed for the door. 3.. 2.. 1..., John counted in his head. Right on cue, Alex swung back around. “I’ll get dressed first, though,” Alex grinned at him sheepishly.

“Are we really going to the aquarium?” Philip asked after breakfast, his eyes wide. John nodded.

“Only if you want to, though,” he added. “Do you like the aquarium?”

“I love the aquarium!” Philip cried. “So does Angie. Can we look at all the animals?” John laughed, nodding, and Philip cheered.

They spent the day wandering the aquarium, and looking in wonder at all the animals. Angie got very confused over the lionfish, and John had to spend nearly half an hour in front of its tank explaining to her that it wasn’t really a lion, but instead a fish. It didn’t help that it was hiding from them for most of the half hour, so all he had to prove it to her was photos on his phone.

Once Angie let them move on, they spent a solid hour at the turtle room, where Philip and John discovered a mutual love of turtles. When they got there, there was actually a guide giving a presentation on turtles, so they managed to sneak into the latter half of the presentation. After that, they spent some time in the tide pool room, which consisted of tanks you could stick your hands into and feel starfish and cool shells. Both Angie and Philip fell in love with the room, and only left when they got hungry and John suggested they go to the aquarium restaurant.

While the kids were distracted by food, John took the chance to check in with Alex.

John: hey, how’s the case going?  
<3: Pretty good, except that Burr won’t let me talk as much as I’d like to.  
<3: How are the kids? Did you go to the aquarium?  
John: yea, we’re still here  
<3: Wow, you’re patient! Thanks so much, babe.  
John: no problema  
John: good luck on the case! <3

“Can we go look at the dolphins?” Philip asked, looking up from his chicken nuggets. Angie’s eyes widened beside him, and she whispered “dolphins” reverently. John agreed quickly, and they headed off to the dolphins once they’d all finished their lunch. 

Once they’d left the dolphins and were headed back toward the turtle room (per Philip’s request), John’s phone buzzed.

<3: Come to the Underwater Dome.  
John: are u here??  
<3: Yes but shh I want to surprise Philip and Angie.  
John: omw

“Hey, guys, can we check out something new?” John asked, stopping Philip and Angie in their tracks.

“What?” Philip asked, looking up at John with wide eyes. John looked around for a sign, then turned back the way they’d come.

“It’s this way,” he said, taking each of their hands and leading them to the Underwater Dome. It was a room with tanks for the wall and ceiling, so that it felt like you were standing in the water with the animals. And standing in the middle of the room was Alex.

“Daddy!” Angie squealed, launching herself at Alex. He caught her easily and swung her around, her giggles filling the room. The second he set her down, Philip jumped into his arms, and it was his turn to be swung around.

“Hey, guys,” Alex laughed. “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah!” Philip cried. “Papa took us to see the dolphins, and the turtles, and I got to touch a starfish!”

“And we saw a lionfish,” Angie added. “It’s not a lion.” But neither Alex nor John heard her.

“Papa?” John asked. The shock on Alex’s face mirrored his own.

“Sorry,” Philip apologized. “But he’s my daddy, too, right? What do I call him?” Alex and John shared a panicked look. They’d never thought that the kids would want to refer to him as their dad, especially since they didn’t have plans to get married. 

“Papa!” Angie repeated. “He’s papa, right?” Alex shrugged helplessly, and John nodded.

“Sure, you can call me papa,” John agreed weakly. His heart was in his throat, waiting for Alex to tell him no, but it didn’t come. Instead, Philip threw his arms around John, and Angie patted his knee affectionately. Alex watched over his kids’ shoulders, his eyes wide and his lips turning up at the corners.

‘Is this okay?’ John mouthed. Alex laughed, then threw his own arms around John and the kids.


	7. Fathers' Day

By the time Father’s Day rolled around, Angie and Philip had both been referring to John as ‘Papa’ for three months. Still, he definitely hadn’t been expecting Philip to ask him to come to his class’s Father’s Day party with him and Alex. 

“What do you mean?” John asked after a moment of silence. “Do you want me to help out with the party?”

“No, you have to come to the party,” Philip insisted. Angie was at a playdate, and Alex, John, and Philip were in the middle of baking cookies for said party. “Everyone’s daddy is coming, so I need both of my daddies.” Alex shrugged at John over Philip’s head, so John shrugged too, and merely said to Philip “yeah, okay.”

A couple days passed, and before he knew it, John and Alex were sitting on either side of Philip in his classroom while the rest of the dads stared at them awkwardly.

“So, Philip, who’s this?” His teacher asked after a minute. “Is this one of your daddy’s friends?”

“This is my Papa,” Philip said proudly. “I have my Daddy, and my Papa. Mommy and Mama didn’t come today.” Angie had started calling Maria ‘Mama’ a month or so ago, something that Philip had quickly picked up on. 

“Okay,” the teacher said, apparently deciding to not question the little boy. “So, class, today we’re going to make some cards with our dads, and then we’re going to make some cookies!”

“Why do you have two daddies and two mommies?” One of Philip’s classmates asked at the cards table. John and Alex traded glances over Philip’s head, while her dad shot them an apologetic look.

“My mommy and daddy aren’t married anymore,” Philip said easily. “But my daddy has a boyfriend, and my mommy has a girlfriend.”

“Mommies can’t have girlfriends,” his classmate disagreed. “Can they?” She asked her father.

“Anyone can have a girlfriend, honey,” he told her.

“Oh,” she frowned. “Can I have a girlfriend?”

“Only if she’s nice to you,” her dad advised. She nodded, apparently satisfied with that answer, and asked Philip to pass the glue.

 

Later that night, they met up with Eliza and Maria for dinner. Ever since Eliza and Alex had divorced, they’d tried to meet up once a month for a family dinner. It had gotten difficult since their relationships with Maria and John had gotten serious, since they suddenly had twice as many work schedules to coordinate, but they were making it work.

Tonight, they were at the kids’ favorite restaurant. The Crab Pot was a cute little restaurant by the waterfront, filled with an odd assortment of wooden statues. The kids loved it because you could order a huge basket of food, which they’d dump out on the table in front of you. They also got to open their own crab, which basically meant they smacked it with a wooden mallet for a few minutes before asking one of the adults to open it for them.

“How was the Father’s Day party?” Maria asked, helping Angie crack open a leg of crab. Philip was hungrily gnawing on a corn cob, so John answered.

“Pretty good,” he told her. “We confused a little girl, but her dad was really great about it. No one was rude or anything.”

“And Philip said he had two mommies,” Alex added. Eliza smiled at Maria, whose eyes widened. She still wasn’t quite used to Angie and Philip calling her Mama, and had nearly cried the first time they’d done so.

“Papa, open?” Angie asked, presenting John with a crab claw. John bit his lip as he tried not to laugh, gazing down at it. She’d smashed it with her hammer, and he wasn’t sure if he could get her any meat without also feeding her pieces of fragmented shell.

“Why don’t we open this one, instead?” John suggested, grabbing a different crab claw from the pile and surreptitiously sliding hers towards Alex, who put it into the bowl of shell fragments.

“Did you guys see her flower girl dress for Laf and Herc’s wedding?” Alex asked Maria and Eliza, pulling it up on his phone. He passed it to Maria, who aww’ed instantly. 

“Uncle Herc made it for her!” Philip told them, grinning. John froze, looking at his mouth, and smacked Alex on the shoulder.

“What-- oh my gosh, when did that happen?” Alex exclaimed. John stood up quickly, moving around the table to kneel next to Philip

“Bud, can you open your mouth for me?” He asked her. He opened quickly, revealing a missing front tooth. “Okay, can you feel around with your tongue and tell me if you feel anything strange?” He suggested. Philip closed his mouth obediently, poking around for a moment, before shaking his head.

“What happened?” Eliza asked, frowning.

“He just lost his first tooth,” Alex said proudly. He pulled out his phone, holding it up. Philip smiled for the picture, and Angie clapped proudly.

“Did he swallow it?” Maria asked. “Is that bad?”

“He probably did,” John admitted. “It’s not too bad, it should just, ah, come out naturally.”

“Ew,” Philip giggled. “Is the tooth fairy still gonna come? Even if I’m at Mommy and Mama’s house tonight?”

“The tooth fairy always comes,” Alex told him conspiratorially. He tapped out a message to the adults’ group text under the table.

Alex: How much money are we going to give them per tooth?  
Betsey: $1?   
Maria: yeah that’s what i got  
John: k sure sounds good

“I wanna talk about my dress again,” Angie announced. Eliza laughed, and Maria leaned over to drop a kiss on Angie’s head.

“Are you excited to be the flower girl?” Alex asked her. Angie nodded eagerly, but Philip pouted.

“Why don’t I get to be a flower boy?” He asked.

“Because you’re going to be the ring bearer, remember?” Alex reminded him.

“Ohh,” Philip nodded. He paused. “What does that mean?” 

“You’re going to give Uncle Herc and Uncle Laf their rings,” Eliza explained. “You get to walk down the aisle with Angie.”

“Do I get to wear a dress, too?” Philip asked. The adults traded a glance.

“Do you want to wear a dress?” Maria asked. Philip nodded happily.

“I want to wear the same dress as Angie,” he decided. “Can Uncle Herc make me a dress like that?”

“I’m sure he could if you asked him,” Eliza smiled at him. “He’s going to pick you and Angie up from school tomorrow and babysit, why don’t you ask him then?”

“Yay!” Angie paused from smashing another crab claw and clapped. “Philip’s gonna be pretty!” The adults traded amused glances.


	8. A Wedding (Or Two)

The morning of Laf and Herc’s wedding was sunny and breezy, a perfect day in early July. Philip and Angie had spent the night with Maria and Eliza, as neither John nor Alex had much experience with doing hair or makeup, or getting kids into dresses. All John and Alex had to do was get into their suits, and get themselves to the church a couple hours early to fulfill their groomsmen duties. Luckily, knowing the grooms, their duties would mostly just consist of assuring Laf their makeup looked good and making sure everyone was sitting down in time for the kids to walk down the aisle.

Sure enough, when they got to the church and were shown into one of the big white tents in the backyard, Laf was leaning over a mirror and panicking over their eyeliner. 

“Laf, calm down,” Alex told them, rubbing their shoulders comfortingly. “You look fine, and Herc’s seen you without makeup plenty of times. He still loves you, so it can’t be that bad, right?” Laf laughed weakly, throwing their arms around Alex. 

“I just need it to be perfect,” they fretted. “Mon amis, can you check on Herc? He’s in the other tent, we have decided not to see each other until I walk down the aisle.” John left Alex to calm Laf down, and headed towards the other tent. 

“Papa!” Angie cried as soon as he stepped through the flaps. She wriggled in Eliza’s arms, and Eliza set her down so she could run to John. He caught her up in a bear hug, grinning as he squeezed her tight.

“Here, let me look at you,” he pulled back. She was already in her little white dress, and Eliza had apparently been coerced into giving her a little bit of lip gloss. Half of her hair had been pulled back into a French braid, but the other half was still loose, tumbling over her shoulder. “I think we need to let Mommy finish your hair, kiddo,” John laughed. “Where are Philip and Uncle Herc?” Eliza pointed him in the direction of Maria, who was helping Philip apply some lip gloss of his own. He was dressed identically to Angie, even down to the white barrettes in his hair and the tiny white sneakers on his feet. 

“Hey, Phil,” John greeted him. Philip waved, careful not to move so Maria didn’t mess up. Unlike Eliza, Maria was already wearing her bridesmaid dress. Her hair was done up similarly to Angie’s, and she wore her signature red lipstick. “Do you guys know where Herc is? Liza said he’d be over here.”

“He went to go greet people and stand by the altar,” Maria informed him. “He’s still got half an hour, but he’s all worried about being late.” John rolled his eyes but went to find their friend. True to Maria’s words, he was pacing by the altar with a worried expression on his face.

“You know how much Laf loves you,” John said as he joined him. “They’ll walk down that aisle with the biggest smile on their face, and then they’re gonna say ‘I do.’”

“I know,” Hercules replied. “I just want it to happen already so I can be married to them.” John smiled, feeling the same thing about Alex. If it wasn’t for the fact that Alex had already been married, he probably would have asked Alex to marry him already. As it was, he didn’t think Alex would want to get married again.

The music changed, and John perked up. He recognized his cue, and stepped towards the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, if y’all could please find your seats,” he requested. The room grew quiet slowly as the guests filled in the pews. The music changed again, and John patted Herc on the shoulder before walking around the pews to join his family by the door.

Angie and Philip walked down the aisle first, Angie scattering flowers haphazardly on either side of them while Philip waved cheerfully at the attendees. Eliza and Maria walked down the aisle hand in hand after them, before separating to stand on either side of the altar. Alex and John followed, also splitting up, before turning to watch Laf walk down the aisle.

They wore a white suit, a flower crown with a veil, and a radiant smile. Herc’s eyes were glassy, and John could feel himself tearing up a little. They reached the altar and handed Eliza their bouquet, taking Herc’s hands in their own.

The ceremony was short and sweet. They’d chosen to write their own vows, and both of them choked up reading them. Philip narrowly avoided dropping the rings, but managed to hand them off without incident. Unfortunately for John and Alex, Philip and Angie both got extremely tired and cranky halfway through the reception, so they ended up leaving early to take them home.

 

“Do you think we should move in together? We’ve been dating for nearly a year, after all.” Alex asked out of the blue later that night. He was nestled into John’s side while John re-read “Grey’s Anatomy” for what had to be the fiftieth time. John blinked, then marked his place and set the book aside, glancing down at his boyfriend.

“Sure,” John shrugged. “I mean, we basically both live at your place anyways, we only go to my apartment occasionally when Eliza and Maria have the kids.”

“True, there’s no reason for you to be paying rent there anymore,” Alex agreed. He paused for a moment, then plowed on. “I mean, if we’re going to move in together, do you want to just get married?”

John froze, and Alex quickly began to backtrack. “Whoa, babe, slow down,” John cut him off. “I’d love to get married. I just didn’t think you’d be interested in getting married again, so I was content to be your boyfriend, but to be honest that’s the only reason I haven’t already asked you to marry me.”

“I mean, it didn’t work out the first time but I’d love to try again,” Alex shrugged. “I think I’ve found the right person.” John smiled at him, bringing their lips together for a gentle kiss. “We could just get married tomorrow,” Alex pulled back to suggest. John blinked. “I mean, we don’t need a fancy wedding. I think Eliza and Maria are free, they could be our witnesses, and we’d have the kids there and Laf and Herc. All we really need is them there for the ceremony, and then we could invite everyone here back here for food and Mulan.”

“Yeah, alright,” John said after a moment of mulling it over. “I mean, why not?” Alex laughed, leaning up to kiss him. “It’ll make taxes easier, for one thing.”

“Oh, thanks,” Alex said dryly. “That makes me feel so much better about this.”

“You’re the economics major,” John pointed out. “Just trying to appeal to you.”

“I wouldn’t be marrying you tomorrow if you didn’t appeal to me,” Alex reminded him.

“Holy shit, we’re getting married tomorrow,” John said.


	9. A Second Wedding

“Angie, Philip,” John said at breakfast the next morning. “How would you feel if I married your Daddy?” 

Philip dropped his spoon into his cereal, and Angie dropped her jaw.

“Really?” Philip squealed, fishing his spoon back out. “Why did it take you so long?”

“Because we--” John started. “Wait, what?”

“Mama thought you were going to get married a long time ago,” Philip said. “Because you love each other, right?”

“We love each other,” Alex agreed, squeezing John’s hand. “But did Mama tell you we were going to get married?”

“She told Mommy you would,” Angie informed them. “And then she said she’d give her money.”

“They bet on our wedding,” John laughed incredulously. “Seriously? I didn’t even think we were going to get married until last night.”

“But you’re totally okay with it?” Alex asked the kids, who nodded happily.

“Everyone else’s parents are married!” Philip said. “Now we’re normal again!” 

“Can I tell Mommy and Mama?” Angie asked. “I want Mama’s money!”

“What are you going to buy, sweetie?” John chuckled.

“Taxes,” Angie said seriously. John and Alex burst into laughter. “I need taxes!” She pouted.

“Taxes are a bad thing, sweetie,” Alex tried to explain. “You don’t want them, okay?”

“Why not?” She asked, confused. “I like money.”

“Taxes take money away from you,” John told her. She frowned but nodded, understanding that taking things away was bad. “How about we call Mama and Mommy, okay?” Angie smiled at this, running around the table to climb onto John’s lap as he dialed up Eliza and Maria’s house phone.

“Hello?” Maria answered almost immediately. 

“Hey, Maria,” John replied. 

“Oh, hey John!” Her smile was evident in her voice. “How are the kids and Alex?”

“Pretty great,” he responded as nonchalantly as he could. “We’re just planning our wedding, are you free this afternoon to be our witness?” There was a crash, and then a shriek. John winced, pulling the phone away from his ear a little.

“Liza, you owe me ten bucks!” Maria yelled. “You’re getting married today?” She squealed into the receiver.

“Alex asked last night, and we don’t really need a huge thing,” John shrugged. “We just want our family there. Can you and Eliza meet us at the courthouse in two hours?”

“Definitely,” Maria replied happily. “Do we need to bring anything?”

“No, but we’re going to come back to our place afterwards to celebrate,” John said, grinning. “See you soon!” He hung up, smiling down at Angie.

“They’re going to come,” he told her. “Now, should we see if Uncle Herc and Uncle Laf are awake?” She nodded, making a grabby motion for the phone, and he held it out of his reach before she could grab it. “Why don’t you finish up your cereal first?” He suggested. “You can talk to them later today, I promise.” She hopped off of his lap and climbed back into her own chair as John called Herc and Laf.

 

By noon, their family was all at the courthouse. Maria was twirling around a laughing Eliza, while Herc and Laf were entertaining Philip and Angie so John and Alex could fill out the paperwork. Eliza, Maria, Herc, and Laf all signed as witnesses, and before they could stop her, Angie scrawled her own name onto the bottom of the marriage certificate in red crayon.

“Can we go home now?” Philip asked as John lifted Angie up and away before she could do anything else to the marriage certificate.

“Let’s go home,” Alex laughed, enveloping John in a hug and cuddling Angie between them. She squealed and giggled, pounding on John’s chest as Alex nuzzled her cheek affectionately.

“Me too!” Philip cried, pushing in between them to hug their legs. John stumbled, dropping to his knees to keep his balance, and Philip threw his arms around his middle. 

A camera flashed behind them, and John turned to see Eliza holding up her cell phone. “Smile, guys!” She directed. John flashed her a grin.

 

Later that night, after a peaceful afternoon of watching Mulan, Alex helped John pull the armchairs over to the kitchen table so they could all have a place to sit at dinner. Philip and Alex ended up sharing one of the armchairs at one end of the table, and Eliza perched in Maria’s lap in the other armchair. 

“Mama, do I get your money now that Papa and Daddy are married?” Angie asked suddenly. Maria turned to look at her.

“What do you mean, sweetheart?” She asked. “What money?”

“You told Mommy you’d give her ten dollars when they got married,” Angie reminded her. 

“That wasn’t quite what I said,” Maria laughed. “But you don’t need money, sweetie, what do you want to buy?”

“I thought it was taxes,” Angie said seriously. “But Daddy and Papa said taxes are bad, so I think I’m gonna buy a house.”

“I want a house, too!” Philip cried. “Mama, can I have money too?”

“No one’s getting money, guys,” Eliza shook her head. “If you need something, we can buy it for you, okay?” The kids nodded.

Alex poured sparkling apple cider into glasses and passed them out. Even Angie got some, although she was drinking it out of a sippy cup in John’s arms.

“I feel like April Ludgate,” Alex laughed as he toasted John. “I literally cannot emphasize how little thought went into this. But I’m so glad I found the Andy to my April, and I’m so happy I have my family.” The guests cheered, and Angie smacked a loud kiss onto John’s cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is the first part of a bigger universe, so I'm going to write more for this universe soon. I'm also working on a universe featuring Alex/John/Hercules/Laf! Hope you enjoyed Dr. Freckles, check back soon for more.


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